'71 Nissan Patrol Jonga for 6 lakhs. Should I bite?

This is a discussion on '71 Nissan Patrol Jonga for 6 lakhs. Should I bite? within 4x4 Vehicles, part of the 4x4 & Off-Roading category; Originally Posted by hps aulakh
.I have a CJ2a 1948 which this seller is asking me to exchange with the ...

.I have a CJ2a 1948 which this seller is asking me to exchange with the Jonga.He was demanding 1.5 lacs with it which i flatly refused.

In your place, I wouldn't part with the CJ. (Am assuming that it is in collectible condition). If one must have a/ the Jonga, beat down the price. (I would like to add that I'm not sentimental about cars. Have sold and scrapped a fair number of jeeps in my time!)

Thanks to you all for your suggestions.The problem is that as it is with Supply and Demand, Jongas especially in a good condition have become a rarity.Even the army depots hardly have any left now.I have a CJ2a 1948 which this seller is asking me to exchange with the Jonga.He was demanding 1.5 lacs with it which i flatly refused.Now he is further reducing the amount.Is it worth an at par exchange? What do you all say to that.

Sir keep both they are priceless.in a few years time he will beg you for one of them.

Is the vehicle worth the 6L the owner is demanding , depends on how much a it would cost to restore a Jonga to the same condition as the one for sale. There are a few Jonga's for sale and a few being restored. I am not sure how much it would cost to restore one if you picked it up from an Army auction. The experts here can pitch in if you choose to restore one instead of buy.

You are not going to find parts for this thing.
You are not going to find mechs who know the vehicle.
You are going to have trouble finding anybody to INSURE it at 6L, making near total loss a possibility.

For 6L you can put a pristine Thar DI on the road...with new seats yet, and you get to drive up to a much friendlier fuel pump.

Long time ago I had the opportunity to deal with these machines. My take on the machine is:

One of the ill designed mechanical monsters. The vehicle rarely completed the duty it was assigned without a trouble. We needed three spare ones to maintain one. So can it ever be in pristine condition, never!
Drove it about 25 years ago. Never a fun to drive not even in erstwhile himalayan car rally and never gave a mileage of more than 6-7km. That was the best.

You are not going to find parts for this thing.
You are not going to find mechs who know the vehicle.
You are going to have trouble finding anybody to INSURE it at 6L, making near total loss a possibility.

Parts are available with although with some difficulty

Mechanics are available - If they can read english, its a lot easier since the workshop manual is an absolute breeze.

Third party insurance is easily available. Not being able to get full comprehensive insurance on the purchase value as on date is not easy for any vehicle over 10 years.

Quote:

Originally Posted by PGA

Long time ago I had the opportunity to deal with these machines. My take on the machine is:

One of the ill designed mechanical monsters. The vehicle rarely completed the duty it was assigned without a trouble. We needed three spare ones to maintain one. So can it ever be in pristine condition, never!
Drove it about 25 years ago. Never a fun to drive not even in erstwhile himalayan car rally and never gave a mileage of more than 6-7km. That was the best.

I frankly think it is no way a classic or a collectors item.

Apologies if I have been a little harsh.

"I'll designed mechanical monsters" you say... Would you be so kind and share a few citations?? I've been using one for nearly 2 years and would be nice to learn of its flaws.

The vehicle isn't as bad as you make it seem. In any case - Each to his own!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hps aulakh

Thanks to you all for your suggestions.The problem is that as it is with Supply and Demand, Jongas especially in a good condition have become a rarity.Even the army depots hardly have any left now.I have a CJ2a 1948 which this seller is asking me to exchange with the Jonga.He was demanding 1.5 lacs with it which i flatly refused.Now he is further reducing the amount.Is it worth an at par exchange? What do you all say to that.

If the vehicle is still available for sale and you are NOT planning on buying it; please share the contact details of the seller so that the other may make him an offer - Including myself.

Sorry once again if I offended GTR with my comments. What I simply meant was that owning one as an 'object of desire' never crossed my mind when I used them some time ago. Perhaps I saw them in a different light then and perceptions have persisted

These vehicles were quite hard to maintain especially in the conditions where they were deployed. Major problems I recollect were engine tuning issues, brakes and repeated hose bursts. Three speed gearbox with tough steering position was never fun to drive.
Notwithstanding above said, I am willing to let fresh knowledge clear cobwebs of my head. Iam interested to know the utilisation of your machine and what made you acquire one.

I only need to know its worth.Btw a well tuned jonga's efficiency never fell below 9 kmpl.

Serdy, buy it. I think its a good deal. I would have jumped into 6 with eyes closed unless i was moving to B'Lore and had to pay 4 lakhs tax on my Vitara.

At the end of the day, a JONGA is a JONGA, it's got huge delivery. As far as repair etc go, I think its a positive that it did not need repair (well maintained). Also check in DGR (Director General - ReSettlement) for Army, They have a lot of manpower available for drivers / mechanics. The catch is to ask for a person from any state so don't say Punjab / Haryana, say you have family accommodation and then work the whole package out.

Hi everybody, I have offered the seller 4 lacs for the jonga, and he replied that my offer is under consideration.His desire is only to exchange with the CJ.So now it is a wait and watch situation and who blinks first.

Hi everybody, I have offered the seller 4 lacs for the jonga, and he replied that my offer is under consideration.His desire is only to exchange with the CJ.So now it is a wait and watch situation and who blinks first.

My opinion of you has gone up 2Laks!

But you could still buy a Alto K10 for this price and still have enough change for a vanilla ice cream cone...with sprinkles.

I have the same opinion as GTO but in parts. I agree the mind rules the head argument when you really want something. However in this case please consider the following;

1) The Vehicle looks like a million bucks and is surely maintained well.
2) It looks as if there is none or hardly any tin work wanting.
3) It will be very difficult to get a pristine and well restored/original ready example like this
4) There were two restored examples for sale on Team BHP at half the price, and they were very well done. This was a few months ago.
5) There was another one for 1.25 and negotiable, available but needed work...definitely not work worth 4.75L
6) Jongas are not worth this much
7) At Panagarh you could get one (wanting restoration) for almost 70-80k (Prasad correct me if im wrong please)
8) For all Jonga related matters refer to R32_GTR who has gone through the pains and glories of finding, buying, restoring and driving a Jonga with a similar engine.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hps aulakh

Hi everybody, I have offered the seller 4 lacs for the jonga, and he replied that my offer is under consideration.His desire is only to exchange with the CJ.So now it is a wait and watch situation and who blinks first.

Now since your heart it set on it and you are ready to pay the price, just wait. I would not exchange this with a CJ, as according to me, the CJ is more valuable. I almost certainly guarantee you he will not find another offer as rich as yours. Shall i say Congrats in Anticipation?